How two engineers took on Bengaluru's textile waste problem

Two friends in Bengaluru, India, noticed a big problem: lots of old clothes were being thrown away and piling up in the streets and trash dumps.

They decided to start a company called NoKasa, which means "garbage" in a local language called Kannada.

People can book a pickup, and workers come to their homes to take the old clothes.

Families get 10 rupees for every kilogram of wearable clothes they donate.

The clothes are sorted into three piles: some are still good to wear, some can be fixed up, and some are too damaged to use.

The wearable ones are sold at KR Market, the fixable ones are given to people who need them, and the damaged ones are turned into things like bags, cushions, or mattress fillings.

So far, NoKasa has kept more than 60,000 kilograms of clothes out of landfills.

The founders say Bengaluru makes at least 300 tonnes of clothing waste every month.

They hope to help more people in Bengaluru and then expand to other cities like Hyderabad and Chennai.